A New Light
by The Wonderless Wizard of Oz
Summary: Set 5 years after the show. Having lost contact with Shizuma and all her former school friends since entering the real world, Nagisa plows mindlessly through the daily grind of mediocrity, until one night, she happens upon a vastly changed Hikari performing in a quiet bar Rating may change, Author's notes are included in the word count


Skwisgaar Skwigelf:Ugh, great., just whats we needs. Mores homosketchual fansfictions

Toki Wartooth: Strawberrys Panics is owneds by Sakurakos Kiminso, Masayuki Sakois, Madhouse studios, and various others individuals/companies whos aren'ts the authors of this fansfictions

Nathan Explosion: PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE!

Shizuma Hanazono:...

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A New Light

ACT I: Reunion

"…..And, done." Nagisa sighed to herself with a final stroke of the enter button on her keyboard.

She leant back in her office chair, allowing herself to unwind slightly after yet another day's worth of relentless number crunching. Today was Friday, the day of the week where performing numerical dentistry was at its most demanding, where even so much as a single digit out of place meant a verbal blitzkrieg courtesy of someone who didn't understand and/or care how hard her job was. However, Friday also represented the final hurdle before a well-earned two day reprieve, which mainly consisted of housework, facebook stalking, and true blood, and not necessarily in that order. Nagisa let out another sigh, as she gazed up at the ceiling of her office. How did it come to this? She asked herself. How did all her hopes and dreams in Astraea Hill turn into the mediocrity of data entry? How did everyone she was so close to suddenly vanish or move onto bigger and better things? And where was…. Nagisa slowed down her train of thought the moment her platinum-haired ghost came into her mind.

It had been five years since she last saw Shizuma. Two since she graduated from Astraea hill. She still remembered the last kiss they shared before she left her life in a black limousine, although time, and exposure to the real world had blurred the memory somewhat. She'd seen no letters from her for the remainder of her school life, and was nowhere to be seen when graduation day finally did roll in. Nagisa half-heartedly resolved to look for her, but the demands of the real world took priority over chasing a fleeting love. Over time, Shizuma became a painful memory, but the pain was lifting as each day passed. Nagisa knew that eventually, the feelings associated with Shizuma would fade completely-both painful and otherwise.

With nothing else to space out on, Nagisa logged out of her computer before willing herself off of her chair to retrieve her grey business coat. As she left her office, a slim built man with black slicked back hair approached her. This was Kanetsugu, one of her many work colleagues.

"Hey Nagisa. I didn't think anyone else was still here." He greeted.

"It's Friday. I always finish late on a Friday." Nagisa replied.

"Well, it's just as well I caught up with you, because a few of us are catching up for drinks after work, and we were wondering if you'd-"

"No. I'd hate to be the only girl there and end up ruining your boys night." Nagisa politely cut him off.

"And you know I don't do nightclubs."

"Wait, Megumi and some of the other girls are coming with us, and the place we're going to is pretty chilled." Kanetsugu insisted, halting Nagisa in her tracks.

"I mean, it's up to you, but we'd really like to see you come out."

It was at this point that Nagisa considered the fact that this was the first time her workmates had invited her to an outing in the whole 6 months she'd been working there. The possibility that Kanetsugu was trying to ask her on a date also entered her mind, but she'd known him long enough to know he was too sincere to pull off a deceptive move like that. Nagisa couldn't remember the last time she'd actually been 'out' since college(the night that she developed her distain for nightclubs). Against her better judgement, she decided to entertain the idea of joining them, if only to hold back the onset of crazy cat lady syndrome.

"Tell you what. Text me the address, and I'll give it some more thought."

"great, so we'll see you there?" Kanetsugu asked cheerily.

"Maybe." Nagisa replied with a shrug before making her way out of the corridor.

An hour later…..

Nagisa gazed up at the word 'Nihon-Maru' shining proudly in red neon over a tidy building nestled in amongst the nightlights of Friday night Tokyo. The address Kanetsugu gave her was easy enough to find. Turns out it was on her trainline, and practically a road crossing from the terminal on top of that. The ease of access was just enough for Nagisa's curiosity to push her into coming here. But on the same note, she still couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. She briefly checked herself over. She'd come here straight from work, so she was still in her business ensemble, consisting of a red button-up shirt, a grey jacket with a matching skirt coming just above her knees. She completed the look with black full length stockings and high heels. Her hair hadn't changed much since Astraea Hill, although she took to wearing it loose more. Finally, she adjusted her fake black-rimmed glasses, which gave her a more intelligent look, or hid her airheadedness depending on whoever mentioned them. With yet another mental sigh, Nagisa pushed through the double doors…..

When she entered the bar proper, any doubts she had about coming here had seemingly lifted, or at least been moved to the backburner. The place was comfortably lit, giving it a cosy sort of feel. The walls were loosely adorned with plaques, ornaments, and trophies of all sorts of brass design. Although the place looked busy, there was enough space to move around without bumping anyone. Despite seeing a few people overdressed and 'asking for it', the majority of the crowd were dressed similar to her. Finally, the soothing jazz music being played by its band completed the pleasant ambience of the bar. For a moment, Nagisa couldn't decide whether it was jazz she was listening to or blues, but eventually decided not to wrack her tiny brain over it, and just enjoy the sound. Overall, this place looked to be the go-to spot for people to chill out after work. Her first order was to find Kanetsugu and the others. Casually weaving in and out between people and groups, she searched table to table until she found them hanging out at the front bar.

"Hey! You made it!" Kanetsugu waved.

"Yes I did." The redhead replied as she went through the process of greeting him, Megumi, and the other 5 that joined them with brief friendly hugs.

"Well then Shirou, looks like you owe me a round." The raven haired Megumi joked, as she playfully nudged a short ginger haired man.

"Well, fair's fair I guess." He said in a defeated tone.

"Errr, did I miss something?" Nagisa inquired.

"Oh, Shirou and I had a bet on whether or not you were gonna show tonight. And well, I never doubted it for a second." Megumi boasted.

"Well, it was 50/50 to be honest with you."

"So what made you show up anyways?" Shirou asked.

"I flipped a coin." Nagisa teased.

"Great. So I lost a round thanks to the random hand of fate." Shirou moaned, earning a small grimace from Megumi.

"Awww….. Would you feel better if I bought your round?" Nagisa joked, as she put on her best sooky face.

"Are you serious?" Shirou had obvious doubts about her sincerity, despite the pleasing prospect of redeeming a round.

"I'm a horrible liar, Shirou." Nagisa finished as she signalled the barkeep, leaving Shirou in doubt of her honesty.

The next hour or so went surprisingly well for Nagisa. Here or there, she'd contribute to a conversation, but for the most part, she was happy to practice her nod politely and smile routine as she took in the atmosphere of her surroundings. She was whittling down her third glass of wine as Shirou was telling a story about a bossy childhood friend he once knew. The guys were talking about making this outing a regular Friday tradition. It was something Nagisa could definitely see herself enjoying, especially the music. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as the next song started. She'd have recognised it anywhere, it was the True Blood theme. For the first time tonight, Nagisa turned to take notice of the band, and was stunned by what she saw…..

In the centre of the stage, sat a woman on a stool bathed in soft radiant light thanks to the spotlights focused on her. Her attire consisted of blue denim jeans which tightly hugged her well sculpted body, and an open jacket of the same material. Beneath that, and the guitar strap across her chest, hid a striped shirt that gave only the slightest hint of midriff. It was hard to tell exactly how old she was from her fair, alabaster features. At a rough guess, Nagisa figured she might have been a year older or younger maybe. She had long blonde hair that ended slightly wavy towards the tips, complete with a full, healthy fringe. The spotlight beamed at the back of her seemed to give it an angelic glow. Her voice however, hinted at something darker. It was smooth, yet untamed. Perhaps even alittle seductive. Piercing sapphire eyes scanned over the crowd as she rolled into the chorus. Gorgeou,s was Nagisa's only tangible thought before her heart almost stopped completely when those eyes gazed in her direction, stabbing her with the words _I wanna do bad things with you_. For the remainder of the song, Nagisa stood there entranced by the beauty before her, a state which seemed to linger after the song finished.

"Thank you for listening to us, and enjoy the rest of your night." She spoke, before her and the supporting band vanished from the stage.

In the process of coming down from her giddy moment, Nagisa glanced at her watch. It had gotten later than she'd realised. She also noticed that a few people were absent from their group. Considering she had to catch a train home, staying out any later would be asking for trouble.

"Hey, Kanetsugu? I think I'm gonna head off now." Nagisa said, as she tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh? Well stay safe, OK?" He replied, sounding alittle disappointed.

"I will." She finished before hugging him, and the remainder of the group goodbye.

A satisfied Nagisa walked out into the entrance without any sense of urgency or regard for the time. Tonight was the first time in what seemed like forever since she had any sort of real fun. The only regret she had now was returning to her empty home, and her mostly solitary existence. With a sigh, she stepped to the edge of the road to crossover to the train terminal.

"Nagisa?" A woman's voice called out.

The redhead's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she turned in the direction of the voice. It was the woman on stage earlier, smiling at her softly with her guitar case slung over her back.

"uhh… Hi?" She managed to blurt out, as her mind tried to process why she was talking to her, and how she knew her name.

"You don't remember me? It's Hikari!" The blonde giggled.

"Hi…..kari?"

Nagisa's chestnut eyes became saucers at this revelation. Her mind was working in overdrive trying to connect the dots between sweet, timid Hikari of Astraea Hill, and the blonde bombshell standing before her. Slowly but surely, the two images in her head began to merge as she took a step towards her.

"Oh…..my GOD!" Was Nagisa's exclaimation before rushing over and enveloping Hikari in a tight hug.

"It's been too long." She cheered before resting her chin on Hikari's shoulder.

"Yes it has, Nagisa." Hikari replied, as she gently wrapped her arms across Nagisa's back. "Yes it has."

They held the hug for a moment longer, before Nagisa pulled back at an arm's length. "So how've you been?" Came the unoriginal follow on.

"Wonderful." Hikari joyfully replied. "And how about you?"

"Yes, great." The redhead's reply was equally as joyful as she finally released Hikari.

Nagisa broke eye contact to check her watch. If she left now, she'd make her train in time, and cut short the first contact with any of her former friends she's had in years. She silently cursed whatever gods that wrote this play, before turning back to Hikari with a smile that hid her disappointment.

"As much as I'd like to stay and chat some more, I have a train to catch, so I'd better-"

"You're catching a train? At this time of night?" Hikari gasped, cutting Nagisa's polite exit short.

"Well…. Yeah, I-"

"It's way too dangerous, what with all those attacks happening to young girls alone on the trains." Hikari began to fret.

"Please Nagisa. Let me take you home instead." She pleaded.

"Hikari….. Are you sure?" The redhead asked nervously, feeling her willpower begin to wane against the puppy dog eyes her friend was making.

"Positive. C'mon, my car's this way." The blonde replied, signalling Nagisa to follow.

Given no chance to protest, Nagisa found herself following Hikari over to a bright blue sports car. She found herself blinking twice at the worked-over street machine bearing the letters 'MR-2' across the back. Once more, Nagisa had to remind herself that this ride belonged to a once shy princess who sung out of tune from the school choir on her first day. Nagisa could only guess that the ugly break up between her and Amane had triggered this change somehow, but if that was the case, then how did she manage to supress it during high-school?

"Something wrong?" Hikari asked, noticing Nagisa spacing out at the car.

"Eh? Oh!, Ummm, this is a very nice car!" The redhead fumbled with her words as she snapped back into reality.

"Heh, I got it for a lot cheaper than you'd think. Get in, I'll tell you all about it." The blonde smiled, before sliding into the driver's side of the car.

Between asking Nagisa for directions to her place, Hikari told her the story behind her car. She'd bought it off of a former mountain racer who'd lost his motivation. She managed to haggle half the asking price off of it almost too easily, since he seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of it. The power behind her car had tempted her into dabbling in the art of mountain racing. Although she hadn't officially raced anyone yet, she occasionally blew through the odd race or two whenever she decided to take her car out for a run. Hikari sounded quite joyful as she went through the details, but Nagisa couldn't help but ponder. Girls who attended Spica always came from considerably wealthy families, and Hikari was no exception. As nice as her car was, why drive this when her family's wealth could get her any luxury car of her choosing? And why play jazz in a quiet bar when a phone call or two could at least get her a tryout with a record label? It was possible that the fallout from Amane had spread out to her family somehow. In some ways, Nagisa considered herself lucky that things 'ended' with Shizuma the way they did. Granted, Hikari had the closure that she lacked, but only at the cost of a break-up so violent and public that it shook the very foundations of Astraea Hill. She remembered Hikari not eating for days, and not talking to anyone for weeks. It also had far reaching consequences for everyone else. The Spica girls academy had been torn in two between those who sided with the opposing parties. On top of that, the schools went an entire year without the Etoile, a first in the three schools centuries old history. But despite this, Hikari had more or less remained the same person, albeit emotionally damaged for a time. Whatever had brought about these new changes in Hikari had obviously happened after graduation, but there was little doubt in Nagisa's mind the break-up was involved in it somehow. For now though, she was happy to let it be. There was no need to cross troubled waters with Hikari so soon after not seeing her in 2 years, and she seemed perfectly content with her life on the surface. Finally, the car rolled to a halt in front of a mostly unremarkable little house in Tokyo's suburban outskirts.

"Thanks for bringing me back home, Hikari." Nagisa said with a soft smile.

"It's my pleasure. But I'd really like to see you more. It really has been far too long." Hikari replied, leaning over for a goodbye hug.

"You know….. You could stay awhile for some tea." The redhead sheepishly asked without really thinking.

With a turn of a key, Hikari silenced the purr of her untamed blue monster. "I think I'd like that."

Nagisa was silently kicking herself for her un-thought out invitation as she led Hikari into her abode. While she was by no means a messy sloth, her house was barely clean enough for her standards, let alone worthy to entertain guests in. Hiding a quiet 'here goes nothing' sigh under her breath she unlocked the entrance, leading Hikari into her residence proper. The main room contained all the usual creature comforts. The loungewear was draped with the odd item of clothing here and there. The dining table guarded the entrance to a walk-in kitchen, its interior clean, yet disorganised. It sported a green vase full of various white flowers Nagisa had forgotten the names of, surrounded by a moat of magazines. Overall, while it lacked a distinctive theme on the surface, it fit Nagisa's lack of order and co-ordination to a tee.

"This place is quite cozy." Hikari complimented.

"Thanks. I just wish I had it a bit tidier." Nagisa courteously replied.

"Well we could all say that about our apartments." The blonde joked, not noticing the look of relief on Nagisa's face.

"How do have your tea?" The redhead asked.

"Do you remember the tea parties we used to have?" Hikari countered.

"Of course!" replied Nagisa, who now found herself on the back foot.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you."

The secret parties in the dorms were one of the few memories of Astraea Hill that the real world hadn't eroded yet. The specifics of how everyone liked their tea however were lost to her. As she'd done with just about everything else in her life, the redhead decided to fudge it, as she boiled the pot and prepared the cups. She decided to prepare Hikari's the same way she prepared her own, one cube of sugar, one quarter milk. After finishing the preparation, Nagisa brought the saucers out to the table, where she anxiously watched Hikari take her first sip.

"Close." The blonde smiled, as she returned her cup to her saucer. "A quarter more milk and it would've been perfect."

"Oh, I'm sorry." A dejected Nagisa replied.

"It's fine, besides, it was always Chiyo that served the tea anyways." Hikari reassured.

"Speaking of everyone, do you still talk to Yaya?" Nagisa asked.

"On facebook, but nothing more. She never seems to stay in the same place lately, since the setting up of her I.T. business requires her to be all over Japan." Hikari began to explain.

"I worry about Tsubomi though, and whether or not she can keep up with Yaya once she graduates."

"Maybe that's why Yaya's in such a hurry. So that her company's all built up so that she doesn't need to worry much about it later once Tsubomi's out." Nagisa suggested.

"I hope so, for both their sakes. I just don't want to see Yaya burn herself out and have it affect their relationship. They're a good match for each other."

"Trust me Hikari. That's never going to happen. If she's still the same Yaya from school, then the sun will burn out before she does."

"I guess you're right." Hikari let out a soft giggle.

"So then how about Tamao? Has she come down from her ego trip yet?" The blonde's mood suddenly darkened with her question.

"See for yourself." Nagisa replied, handing Hikari a pamphlet.

The piece of paper in question was made out to be the cover of a book. In the middle of the picture, stood a man in a suit, posterized in pure black and white. The man had his back turned, casting a shadow the bled out to the edge of the pamphlet. Underneath the illustration, were the words _THE SUDDEN STOP _in bold red lettering. In smaller letters of the same font read _A SUZUMI/WAKE COLLABORATION_, followed by a release date underneath.

"I see…." Hikari commented as she took another sip of her tea. "So she's lost to us forever."

"And to think this all started over someone important taking notice of a fanfiction." Nagisa added. "If I'd realised what she'd turn into sooner because of it, then-"

"There was nothing more any of us could do." Hikari interrupted. "If being slapped by your best friend isn't enough to plant your feet back on the ground, then there's only one more thing for it. And she won't like it when it happens."

Nagisa contemplated on the fall of her former best friend and roommate as she took several light sips of her tea. "What happened to us, Hikari?"

"Most of us changed, I guess." Hikari blankly replied.

"But that's not always a bad thing, Hikari. I mean, look at you." Nagisa complimented to lighten the mood.

"I really needed to make those changes, Nagisa. I'm glad that you feel I've changed for the better." Hikari spoke lightly, as she tilted her head away slightly to reveal a light shade of pink on her cheeks.

"But what amazes me the most, is that despite all the time that's past between us, you're somehow still the same adorable airhead we all fell in love with in school." Hikari's comment turned Nagisa's cheeks a deeper shade of pink than her friend's, not helped by those sparking sapphires being beamed into her skull.

"Hey… I'm more intelligent now. Well, the glasses make me look it, at least" The redhead attempted to sound clever.

"Huh…. Well, it's getting late. Thanks for the tea." Hikari said, as she rose from her chair.

"No, thank you for staying around with me." Nagisa replied, propping herself up from her own chair to see Hikari off. "Hey, do you play at the Nihon-maru often?"

"Yeah, every Friday."

"Then you might see more of me." Nagisa cheered. "My workmates are thinking of making Friday nights a regular thing up there."

"I'd like that." The blonde smiled sincerely. "Oh, one more thing, Since when did you need glasses?"

"These? Oh, they're fake. Nothing more than a fashion accessory" Nagisa giggled sheepishly, taking the time to adjust them on their mention.

Hikari said nothing, but instead took a few steps towards her. The proximity of their bodies caused all of Nagisa's nerves to freeze up. Her heartbeat was infinitely louder, as the angelic blonde before her calmly reached out to her face. An awestruck Nagisa could only watch Hikari take the frames of her glasses in the tips of her fingers. With a gentle, yet strangely seductive smile sketched on her face, Hikari slid them off of Nagisa's forehead.

"You have beautiful eyes, Nagisa."

Nagisa felt like a puppet on a string as a warm hand from her friend reached out to take her own, opening it flat. Hikari's other hand, which held Nagisa's glasses captive, then placed them in the open palm, before delicately using both hands to close her fingers around the frames.

"So don't let me see you hide them behind those silly things, OK?" She playfully lectured.

Nagisa could do or say nothing as Hikari released her hands. Her mind was now racing to process what her nerves were telling it from the angelic blonde's last gesture.

"So I'll see you next Friday then." Hikari smiled, before calmly passing through the front door.

"Yeah, see you then." Was all Nagisa could manage to say as she watched her friend return to her blue chariot with a bounce in her step.

After shutting the front door, Nagisa dragged herself back to her dining table, where she sat herself down, and held out her fake glasses in front of her. As she gazed into them, her free hand gently ran back and forth over the other one. The feeling that Hikari's soft hands visited upon her own still lingered. The skin felt light and tingly, in synch with the rest of her body. This feeling was not new to Nagisa, but a feeling she thought was left behind in Astraea Hill. And only one other girl could make her feel this way.

"Shizuma…" Nagisa uttered, barely above a whisper.

She tried to visualise her platinum haired ghost, only to find that she was struggling with the image. Flickering in silver, she was a whispy silhouette, baring a human shape, as she danced in the palm of Hikari's hand. The kind and inviting features on the blonde angel's face caused Nagisa to pull herself back into reality. The redhead let out a soft sigh. The night's events left her completely unsure of what to think.

"Hikari….. what have you done to me?"

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So, if you've made it to the author's notes, then I've done my job well, and I thank you for having the patience to read though my second yuri fic(and if you skimmed through the contents... then that's OK too). This isn't gonna be a big fic. Maybe 5 chapters at most, but I'm aiming for a tidy 4.

Stick around for act 2. Can't say when it'll be up, but I'm probably gonna start working on it after a few days.

...

Also, I don't own metalocalypse or any other subtle references within this fic.


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